Effort is not enough for Triway

Wednesday

Jan 21, 2009 at 4:09 AM

By MIKE PLANT

Daily Record Sports Writer

CANTON -- Sometimes, playing hard just isn't enough.

Triway coach Keith Snoddy was more than pleased with his team's effort Tuesday night against Timken at the Canton Fieldhouse. The execution, though, will have to improve if the Titans hope to stay up with the Trojans when they meet the last weekend of the season.

Timken, not exactly firing on all cylinders itself, won the battle of Principals Athletic Conference unbeatens 76-55. The Trojans (8-1, 6-0) committed 26 turnovers and were just 1-of-14 on 3-pointers, but their size and athleticism wore on, then eventually wore down the Titans (8-4, 6-1).

"You've got to be so mentally tough to beat a team like that. You can't slip for a minute," Snoddy said. "It's just hard to do. It's a challenge we didn't meet tonight, even though we battled and we never backed down."

Triway struggled from the field again (18-for-60), committed 27 turnovers itself, and was outrebounded 58-34 by the taller Trojans. Still, after Kenny Goldstein buried a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, the Titans had managed to get their deficit to 39-32.

But starting the second half with four straight turnovers -- 11 in the period against Timken's relentless trapping defense -- was too much to overcome. Timken, with Jared Porrini scoring eight of his team-high 18 points in the quarter, gradually stretched its lead to 60-41, then cruised to the finish.

Coming off its first defeat of the season Saturday at Warren Harding, Timken wasn't especially sharp, but the Trojans did take full advantage of Triway's mistakes, rolling up a 31-9 margin on points off turnovers.

"That's one thing I was looking for, to make sure we didn't come out with our heads down after Saturday. I wanted us to play with some intensity and effort, and I think we did that," Timken coach Rick Hairston said. "Our taking care of the ball left a lot to be desired, but Triway's a scrappy bunch, and like I told my players before the game, they were coming in here thinking they were going to win.

"You have to give them credit -- they're always well-coached and they handled our pressure pretty good," Hairston added. "You get pressed the whole game, you're going to turn it over some, but they made some open shots and had a pretty good gameplan."

That plan included packing in tight defensively and forcing Timken to shoot from the perimeter. But, while the Trojans didn't hit much outside of the paint, they ruled inside. Chaz Moore had 12 points and 14 rebounds, 6-foot-8 Cameron Howard ripped down 10 rebounds, and Rakim Reed had 12 points and a half-dozen boards. Timken had 23 offensive rebounds.

"We like to play man, but we didn't think they were a great outside shooting team, and with 1-of-14 3-pointers, they didn't shoot it," Snoddy said. "But, as they always do, they get turnovers and get it in transition and they score. Plus 58 rebounds -- and 23 offensive rebounds -- that's hard to stop.

"We made 10 3s that kept us in the game, and in the first half, for the most part, we did a good job moving the ball and getting open shots," Snoddy added. "But in the second half, we made some bad choices, mentally, and we couldn't keep them off the boards."

"There aren't any teams in our area playing the schedule we're playing," said Snoddy, whose team lost its second straight game. "That will do nothing but make us better.

"But right now, we've got to regroup. It's gut-check time," he added. "We're still only one game out of first and I'd like to be there when that last game comes around, but there's a long way between now and then."

Mike Plant can be reached at 330-287-1649 or mplant@the-daily-record.com

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